


See The Light

by ghxstlvke



Series: Live Your Wonders [1]
Category: Julie and the Phantoms, descendants - Fandom, jatp - Fandom
Genre: Alex - Freeform, Alex/Willie - Freeform, Boy x boy, Descendants - Freeform, JATP, Julie and the phantoms - Freeform, LGBT, M/M, Series, live your wonders, willex, willie - Freeform, willie/alex - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27018292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghxstlvke/pseuds/ghxstlvke
Summary: Wɪʟʟᴇx Dᴇsᴄᴇɴᴅᴀɴᴛs x Jᴀᴛᴘ FFWillie isn't sure what happened.The last thing he remembers is helping The Phantoms escape Caleb Covington's clutches and the next...he's in some strange fantasy world where everyone is royalty or a villain.Now, everyone calls him "Jay" and they swear he's the son of some villain he's never even heard of before.But when Willie gets invited to go to the land of Auradon Prep, where he is tasked to steal a magic wand, he meets Alexander, son of Rapunzel and Eugene...an exact replica of Alex from back home.Willie becomes stuck in a turmoil of falling for the new Alex and forgetting who his real self is, trading this life for his old one.That's when Caleb comes back..and everything gets worse.
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Willex - Relationship, Willie x Alex
Series: Live Your Wonders [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999357
Comments: 21
Kudos: 151





	1. i.

I didn't want any of this to happen. I hated that it did. Especially to Alex.  
But what exactly happened? Caleb.  
I never should've let it out that Alex could let people see him..but it wasn't his fault. It wasn't Julie, the girl's, fault either. Somehow though, Caleb swore it was his fault. That the Phantoms were a threat to his existence.  
Now, as I watched Alex playing drums on Caleb's stage at the Hollywood Ghost Club, I knew I needed to get them out of there. Get him out of there.  
None of them looked happy, they looked scared. They didn't want this. I most definitely didn't want it so why should they?  
As Caleb's musical number reached its crescendo, Alex and I made eye contact. The electricity that sparked between us every time exploded, sealing the deal to everything that was set in stone.  
I knew that once they were done, I would get them out of here. For Alex.  
Always for Alex.  
I watched Caleb's face light up as he began talking about his new "band" to his entourage of brainwashed lifers who clapped at everything he said. I wanted to roll my eyes but I knew once Caleb saw me do that, I'd be dead. Well...deader.  
I made my way backstage, zooming past and through people as I tried hard not to be seen but still get there as fast as I could. I felt my heart jump when I saw Alex in his pink suit, standing with Luke and Reggie as they all look mortified at their future grew closer and closer.  
They couldn't speak and I honestly couldn't blame them. They probably had no idea what to say.  
"Alex," I announced my presence, making Luke and Reggie tense,"can we talk?"  
Alex, besides his friends, looked disappointed..almost afraid of me. I can't tell you how many times a day I wished I could just make him forget about me.  
That I could forget about him.  
He turned to Luke, not sure what to do or say, but Luke just shrugged in defeat. Alex turned to me and slowly made his way toward me, every step he took making his face distort into a wince.  
I hated seeing him like this, it made me wish I was in pain instead of him.  
"What do you want, Willie?" Alex's voice was hoarse, raw, and broken all at the same time. Hoarse from pain, raw from tension, broken from mistrust. I knew he shouldn't trust me at all...but it didn't stop me from trying.  
"I can get you guys out of here, all I need is for you to cooperate."  
"Yeah? And why should we?" The accusations in his voice hurt but I had been through worse. And yet this felt like the worst pain I'd ever gone through in my life, knowing I'd never be able to see him again without tagging him to Caleb again. I hated it.  
"Because, like I've said before," I put my right hand on his left shoulder, pulling him slightly closer to keep the conversation more private,"I care about you. And I care about your friends, too."  
His eyes began to get misty when him and his friends suddenly spasm from the soul sucker that was put on all of them, I felt my heart drop as I watched Alex almost collapse on the floor, dropping to one knee while screaming out in pain.  
I grabbed his hand, feeling him go limp to my touch, and began to drag him,"We have to go. Now."  
All of us began running, down stairs and up corridors and materializing through doors and walls, eventually finding ourselves on the roof of the abandoned building hosting the club.  
We all looked around, making sure no one was here before we all nearly fell from exhaustion, anxiety leaving us as we realize no one would find us for a few minutes.  
Alex and I stared at each other, my heart skipping every time I noticed his puppy dog eyed stares digging into my soul. I wanted to reach out, talk to him, tell him how sorry I was.  
Luke suddenly put a hand on Alex's shoulder from behind, Alex craned his neck to Luke's voice,"Talk. Reggie and I are going to figure out where we're gonna go."  
Alex nodded solemnly before Luke backed away with a slight, lighthearted smirk, Alex turned back to face me and I felt my entire body fill up with dread. What was I going to say to make him realize I was sorry?  
But I guess nothing was what he needed. After a few seconds of just staring at each other in quiet sorrow, he engulfed me in a hug, the feeling intoxicating me as I pulled into his scent. I rested my head on his shoulder and felt the tears begin to pour as I realized. This is the last time I'd be able to see Alex. The last time for forever. And though it was possible if I escaped Caleb's force myself...forever was an awfully long time.  
His right hand ran through my hair and cradled the back of my head while his left arm wrapped around my waist, making me wish I could stay here forever. But, then again, forever could always be shorter than anyone realizes.  
He pulled away, my chest filling up with a dreadful feeling of emptiness but it went away as he stared into my eyes,"I know I shouldn't..but I'm really going to miss you."  
"Funny enough, I was going to say the same thing," I let out a slight yet painful laugh. The genuine terror in my voice of knowing I wouldn't see him getting bigger and bigger, my breathing became ragged and my laugh was shaky.  
"Willie."  
"Yeah?" I couldn't look at him as I stared down at my feet, afraid that if I did, I'd reveal things I didn't want to. Things that I knew would break my entire soul.  
He stepped closer, his toes touching mine as he brushed the side of my face,"I hope you know I've enjoyed these past few days with you more than anything else since...well, my death."  
I looked up and noticed the fat tears hanging on in his eyes, knowing he was fearing exactly what I was.  
He didn't want to say goodbye.  
"Alex.." I grabbed his hand again, this time more tender, more affectionately. In a way I never thought I ever would with him.  
I felt myself gravitate closer to him as we leaned in, nearly feeling each other's breath and the silhouette of what could be something sweet, when Reggie yanked Alex back,"We have to go, I can hear them looking for us."  
Sure enough, I can hear Caleb and a bunch of guards below us, searching rooms and yelling. I feel my heart drop when Alex says to Reggie,"Wait!"  
"We can't!" Luke exclaimed,"C'mon!"  
As Reggie and Luke pulled Alex to the edge of the building, my voice announced,"This isn't the end, Alex." He looked hopeful, a tear finally letting lose,"I will find you again! I promise!"  
Alex's mouth opened to say something when they suddenly disappeared. Along with my happiness, hopefulness, and optimism for the future. If I even had one left.  
Two seconds later, Caleb burst through the door that lead to the roof, I was shocked to see that his guards weren't with him.  
"Where are they?" He sounded livid, I could feel fire spitting from his tongue as he screamed,"Where did they go?!"  
He grabbed me by the shoulders, his usual calm composure completely melting away...but then it showed up again when he realized who he was talking to.  
"Oh, my sweet dear boy.." he backed up and faced the wind away from me, anger still spilling from his words like honey from a jar,"Do you have any idea what you've done?"  
I couldn't even speak as I felt my confidence get swept away. I was no match for Caleb..I didn't even know why I did in the first place.  
"It's funny to me how you did this all for a guy. He's a guy! He can't even do anything without help. And it's obvious, so do you."  
I cringed at his words, but it never could've prepared me for whatever he said next,"You know..you've grown soft, William. I figured you would be the one who would stand by me until the bitter end but because of one pretty boy," his hand grabbed my arm and squeezed hard with enough force to break a bone,"You ruined it all."  
I yelled out in pain and fell to the ground, taking in my breaths slowly yet swiftly to hold my composure.  
"It's almost enough to say that you're not..good enough for this world," my head whipped up in fear, the starkness of what he just said completely blinding me,"Or any world where he is. Where you can protect him at a moments notice. Where you betray the people closest to you without a thought."  
Caleb turned to me, his blue eyes suddenly getting somehow brighter, like a blue hot ember glowing in his eye socket was reaching its peak,"I think you deserve to be exiled in a different approach, don't you?"  
He snapped his fingers and I became engulfed in blue fire, pain searing through me as I get the entire world go black around me and I think to myself...  
Is this what dying for the second time feels like?


	2. ii.

I woke up with a start, like when you start falling asleep and you feel like you’re falling suddenly. My heart jumped multiple times and I sat up straight, bringing my hand on my chest, clutching my shirt to keep my heartbeat steady.  
And then I furrowed my eyebrows when I realized..I could feel my heartbeat. That hadn’t happened in awhile.  
I took a deep intake of breath, feeling my lungs fill up and then exhaled, it almost hurt to feel the oxygen leave my body.   
I began to look around, the feeling of doom impending over me as I noticed I didn’t recognize where I was at all.   
The room I was currently in was like a burrow, a small cave area with nothing but the torn, rat-eaten mattress on the bumpy, rocky floor that was quite uncomfortable to lay on, a beaten-up, dark wooden dresser with minimal clothes that spilled out of it, and a rickety chair that looked like it would break if you laid a finger on it due to all the rust and mold that grew on its frame.  
“Jay!” I heard from behind the “door”..which was just a ragged, stained sheet that covered a gaping hole in the wall,”Where are you, you rat?”  
The voice was feminine yet angsty, like whoever was traipsing through the area was pissed off at the world. To be honest, a very detailed mood I was currently experiencing.  
I stayed in the room but slowly stood up as I looked around for a way to escape, noticing a “window”, yet another hole in a wall on the opposite side of the room that looked like it lead outside, another sheet covered it so the light barely came through.   
I made my way towards it but tripped over a obviously years-of-worth worn blanket (or was it a rug?) and hitting the floor with a thud. I wish I could say it was a soft landing but my entire right side of my body could tell you otherwise.   
I groaned on the ground, not having felt pain in forever, before I heard someone say behind me,”You know I could hear you from the kitchen, right?”  
I whipped around, falling back as my adrenaline made my side stop hurting. Realizing they could actually see me and my vulnerable self.   
Who had entered was a teenage girl, she was at least five feet tall and even though she was tiny, she looked like she could rip anyone’s head off.   
Her purple hair went to her shoulders while her features were chiseled in a soft yet endearingly scary way, she dressed like she was going to a punk pop concert with dark purple leather pants with multiple zippers on them and a black with multiple different shades of purple and green accents all over it.   
The thing I noticed most about her were her eyes. Emerald green, so bright and vivid that you could see them through the dark. She scared me and I didn’t even know her.  
The fear and unfamiliarity on my face must’ve made her confused thought as she looked me up and down,”You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”  
“Uh..”  
“You better get up, we have to get to Carlos’s. He’s throwing a party and we’re inviting Evie.”  
She rolled her eyes when saying “Evie” with a malicious yet bored tone, like I was supposed to know what that meant.  
When I didn’t budge, she cocked her head to the side,”You okay?”  
I didn’t speak. I was in complete awe of what was going on.   
I‘m alive? But how? Caleb wouldn’t just bring me back to life...would he?  
“Jay,” she snapped her fingers like a whip, the sound loud and clear which made me get out of my trance,”we need to go. Come on.”  
She began walking out of the room, the sheet that covered the doorway falling behind her.  
I began breathing faster as anxiety filled my body. How could I be alive? And where was I?   
So many questions that I wanted to be answered..but I heard the girl yell in the other room and it brought me back to reality,“Bring some decorations you think will work from your dad’s store, will ya?”  
I stood up, hearing her rummaging through stuff and making a loud noise as I walked over to the dresser and grabbed a bright red yet grungy beanie off the surface, noticing a broken mirror sitting next to it and picking it up. I nearly dropped it when I saw myself.  
My hair was darker and thicker, definitely more greasy and dirty than I’d like to admit too. My face looked younger, my face was plumper like I went backwards in time to when I was 15 instead of my 17 year old self.   
That’s when I noticed the fingerless gloves on my hands and looked down at the rest of my outfit. Leather and wool. Not really my thing usually especially since all the items I was wearing were dusty and dirty.   
I placed the mirror back on the dresser and felt my breathing shorten, thinking to myself...  
Where am I?


	3. iii.

I decided the only way to face the current situation I was facing was to just go along with the girl's plan. Go to Carlos's, whoever that was, party and see Evie...whoever that was, too.  
I walked out of the bedroom, finding my way into a huge living room area with two non-matching couches, one bright yellow with brown stains that I hoped wasn't what I was thinking on it and the other dark pink with torn off button holes. A giant, generic wicker rug sprawled on the floor underneath them. There was no source of lights anywhere, just multiple holes in the walls just like the ones in the other room.  
"Hey, where's the cups?" I heard the girl yell from the room next to me. I entered the room and peaked around at a cluttered kitchen that, to the eye, looked like a hurricane had demolished it.  
"Or, better yet," I see the girl grabbing some golden chalices from the table but I could tell from the way they bent that they weren't real gold,"do you have any lamps? Like the ones with the genies that pop out of them?"  
I blinked and stared at her with blatant confusion, making her looked even more irritated,"Not really talkative today, I see."  
I opened my mouth to say something but I realized I didn't know what to say. What was I going to say?   
'Hey, my name is Willie and I don't know why you're calling me "Jay" but it's kinda weird and, also, where am I?'.   
Yeah, no.  
Instead, I just kinda looked around in cabinets for lamps. I still wasn't sure what kind of lamps she had been talking about but from the lack of table and floor lamps in the living room, it wasn't those kind.  
I eventually found a tarnished, silver looking teapot thing.   
"Uh, is this-?"  
"Yes," she yanked it out of my hands and walked over to the sink and turned it on, only for a small, dirt infested drip to be coming from it,"See, not so useless after all, huh?"  
"Uh, I guess not."  
"You're saying "uh" a lot today. Tongue tied or did you not wake up until after I got here?"  
I shrugged, not really sure if she was here before I woke up.  
"Well, put your beanie on before we leave. You look weird without it."

•

One Month Later

I had come to realize I’d never get out of here. Where was here though? The Isle of The Lost, a place in a universe where everyone is either the hero or villain of multiple stories that happened over multiple years. The Isle was where the villains dwelled..Auradon was where the heroes and royalty prospered.   
It took me a little over two weeks to figure out what the stories were without making everyone think I was stupid.   
I found out everyone thought I was the son of a guy named Jafar, a villain in a story about a street rag turned sultan, Aladdin. To be honest, I understood completely why Jafar was here but I learned not to say that out loud very quickly.  
The girl with purple hair turned out to be Mal, daughter of Maleficent, an evil fairy who put a princess to sleep on her sixteenth birthday because of not being invited to her christening...kinda understood why she was on the Isle too but whatever.  
Carlos turned out to be this tiny, measly little dude who was the son of a woman, Cruella, who treated him like a dog..even though she tried to kill one hundred and one puppies before. Definitely deserved to be here.  
And, finally, Evie, daughter of what they called the Evil Queen, no other name, just a scary nickname that left me shivering thinking about it when I first heard it. Now, I knew she was just a overhyped. She was known for putting her stepdaughter under a sleeping spell from a poisoned apple..kinda surprised she never did it to Evie.  
They were all cool, the villain kids. But even though I was a punk kid in my world that liked to skateboard everywhere...I enjoyed the better company. Like Alex.  
The only thing that kept me from going crazy in this world was him, I missed him more than anything else. The hardest part was realizing he wasn’t here.  
I realized that was Caleb’s punishment all along. Alex wasn’t here and I was an outcast. But how he knew about this world is beyond me. It scared me a little bit but, on the other hand, he knew how to get lifers to see him. It would be nothing for him to know about a whole other universe.  
Today, was different though, I could tell. How? Intuition. I guess it was just my old ghost self still being able to feel when something was wrong.  
Oh yeah, another thing...I was alive again. So, if Alex actually was here, I wouldn’t be able to see him and he wouldn’t be able to talk to me.   
I found out that with coming back to life comes with all the old urges of wanting to be in danger coming back, like skateboarding where people are driving or jumping off high places for an adrenaline rush.  
But since cars or skateboards or casts for sudden injury didn’t seem to exist on the Isle, I’d have to make do with stealing.  
Yes, stealing. Something I never thought I’d do in a million years.  
It wasn’t my thing, making other people feel bad from my doing? Nah, that always left a bad taste in my mouth. But, I guess here you didn’t have to worry about guilt taking over you since you couldn’t get in trouble.  
I ran along the rooftops, my shoes clinging to the metal and stone as I slid and jumped over multiple gaps. Every jump made me think of Alex, maybe if I died again, I’d be able to see him.   
Maybe. But I wasn’t willing to risk that right now, not until I was sure he was here.   
I stood atop a grimy, slimy wooden rooftop that loomed over a particular alleyway with two teenage punks, not so different from me except of the amateur way of exchanging their money in a spooky alley where anyone who was desperate enough could see.  
I smirked before I dropped into the alley, watching their faces turn white from fear. I held out my hand,”Hand it over, kiddos.”  
“N-no way, we earned it,” one wearing a fedora with multiple cigarette burns in it stuttered out.  
I stalked towards them,”Look, I’m just gonna take it and get on my merry way.”  
“Mister, we-“  
“Oh, come on, pipsqueaks,” Mal’s voice materialized behind me. My smirk got bigger as she stood next to me, looking tougher than me by a long run,”Give the nice man your money.”  
“Hey, don’t call me that.”  
“Fine,” her voice became soft, like she was speaking to toddlers,”Give the mean, ugly, nasty man your money he so maliciously asked for.”  
The other one with a moth eaten dark teal sweater held out the money barely with a shaky hand, before he could get it out far enough for me to reach it, Mal plucked it from his fingers and smashed it into my palm,”I’d say thank you but..” she held up my arm to show the money I held in between my fingers,”I think you already did.”  
She smiled wickedly and we both turned around, leaving the alleyway as we heard the two dudes scuffle out the other end to avoid seeing us again.  
We started walking down the main street to get to Mal’s house, the giant castle thing that made everyone cower in fear, taking short and heavy strides as we scared everyone around us.  
“You know, this whole thing is fun and all once you get the hang of it.”  
“Hang of what? Enjoying the terror on people’s faces or the thrill of the steal?” She snatched a lollipop from a baby as we passed by a mother pushing its carriage.  
I saw Evie and Carlos walking towards us from another alleyway and I shrugged as I kicked a metal shard on the street and said,”Why not both?”  
We came upon a crowd in front of the castle, people usually did this to get a glimpse of Maleficent. No one rarely saw her..besides us villain kids at least. It was a given with Mal being in our friend group, if that’s what you could call it.  
We approached it when everyone suddenly screamed and ran in terror, we looked at the front of the castle and noticed four of Maleficent’s goons...and the evil witch herself.  
“Stealing candy, Mal? So disappointed..” Her voice gave me the same feeling of when you scratched nails on a chalkboard. I hated it.  
“It was from a baby,” she grinned with pride.  
“That’s my nasty little girl,” Maleficent replied as she snatched the lollipop away and handed it to another goon that appeared from the castle’s entrance,”Give it back to the dreadful creature.”  
“Ugh, Mom!” Mal protested, watching her work go to waste, almost forgetting the money we got along the way.  
Soon, Maleficent went on a tangent about the differences between evil and mean, making me want to roll my eyes as I looked over at Carlos and Evie who were paying close attention.  
I didn’t want to be evil..being mean was hard and well enough for me. I only really did all this stuff to feel something and to fit in. To not be an outcast like Caleb wants.  
And I wasn’t about to give him what he wanted.  
“Oh! Good news!” Maleficent suddenly outbursts, making me bring my attention back to the big horned “fairy”. I braced myself for the news as I looked around at how her goons were surrounding us. I didn’t like it one bit.  
“You four have been chosen to go to a different school in Auradon!”  
I turned around to bolt but that’s when one of the four goons grabbed me to keep me from running. Once he placed me back on the ground, I held a fist up to threaten to hit him but instead we all turned around to her and yelled in unison,”What?!”


	4. iv.

"You will find Fairy Godmother and you will find her magic wand," Maleficent plopped onto an office chair that was near a big window behind her that stretched to the ceiling of the giant castle she called her home,"Easy peasy."  
Everyone started rambling on but my mind went to other places. It couldn't have been a coincidence that I'd become this kid who was destined for something great. Caleb knew. Or maybe he didn't and it was just my mind overthinking as always.  
The villains were here when we walked in including Jay's dad, Jafar.   
Jafar was a pretty crazy dude who definitely had some sort of trust issues going on..he always told me to never trust anyone and to always fend for yourself. Then he proceeded to tell me my worth was from stealing things for him to stock his store.  
I often thought about how sad Jay's life is and how lonely he must've felt all the time. But watching the rest of the villain kids made me realize that Jay didn't have it the worst in the slightest.  
Carlos..now he was the one who deserved a better life. His mom was the most mentally insane person I had ever met and I dealt with Caleb for years.  
I noticed the way she barked at him to do her chores and to go do her dirty work and I couldn't help but ask myself...why was he still here? Couldn't he try his hardest to leave? Maybe go stay with someone else until his mom realized there was no use in bringing him home?  
But as I watched the way Carlos looked up to her, the way he always enjoyed her "encouraging" words and nicknames like "pet" or "good boy" (but whenever she used these, she would ruffle his hair or pet his cheeks and it was weird, I don't know how he didn't realize that she saw him more as a dog than a human), and I realized that he loved her. Even if she didn't love him.  
He saw her as his saving grace, his knight in shining armor. If only he knew that love wasn't being treated like an animal.  
"Well, Jay can't go either! He needs to help me keep stock my store!" Jafar announced, snapping me out of my trance. He approached me and I felt my eyes roll as the creepiness in his eyes grew brighter,"What did you score today?"  
I opened my satchel and rummaged through it, pulling out random stuff before I held out a lamp. He snatched it from me and rubbed it like crazy...showing that he was actually crazy.  
"Dad.." I hated calling him that but to fit in was to not let Caleb win,"I already tried."   
I actually hadn't but I didn't need him to continue embarrassing himself.   
He tossed the lamp into my hands with a scowl and growl, emerging back into his corner where he sat down in an old chair.  
I never told him about the money I would steal, I always pocketed it and only Mal knew. She caught me one of the first days I started stealing, she didn't stop me but she asked me if I felt alright because I obviously wasn't doing it right. There were plenty of Jafar's henchmen to catch me doing that and I would've been beaten if he found out. She showed me how to do it right and then we continued our day as if nothing had happened.   
Why she never told on me was a mystery to me but I guess she understood just as well as I did, you had to save up as much as possible and wait for the right time. You never knew when you had to run and hide from people you hated the most.  
Now, as I watched around me as the villain kids were uncomfortable thinking about leaving the Isle..I noticed a sparkle in their eyes.  
Maybe they were faking being scared, maybe they wanted this opportunity more than anything in their lives.   
Me? I would do anything to fit in. To be a part of this. Just so I wouldn't have to worry about what Caleb wants.  
I do what I want.  
And what I wanted was to go to Auradon.


	5. v.

As soon as I got into the limo that lead us to our new lives in Auradon, I felt the cool air of the air conditioning and I felt at ease.  
Calmness filled my veins and I didn't feel stressed anymore. I was free. Well, kinda.  
We had been tasked by the villains to find Fairy Godmother's magic wand, something that could help them get out of the Isle and to cause havoc to Auradon.  
I wished that the villain kids were thinking as I was to just forget them but they were planning on going on with the plan. I almost wanted to say "no, let's not" but I figured that wasn't very in-character of me.  
According to Mal, Jay would do anything Jafar told him to do. I hated it but I guess it was true.  
We were going to the barrier when Carlos found candy, making my mouth water.  
Since I had been a ghost for awhile, I couldn't really eat at all. Becoming alive again on the Isle, the only food they had was rotten, mushy leftover stuff from Auradon that no one really wanted but they'd eat it to survive.  
Seeing him eating a chocolate peanut butter cup made me want to pass out. I can't tell you how much I craved for those throughout the years.  
I snatched one up and I stuffed it into my mouth, making me cringe a bit from how sweet it was but then easing back into the deliciousness.  
I missed food. I missed chocolate.  
I missed being alive more than I would ever admit.  
To be honest, that's probably why I liked Alex so much. He had made me feel alive since Caleb convinced me to join the club.  
I loved the way he made me feel young, not more of a punk anymore but as a kid who had a dream. He was my dream in the end.  
Every night as I fell asleep on the Isle, I thought of Alex. Wondering if he was okay in the other universe or if he was having a hard time like me.  
The thought of Caleb finding him chilled me to my bones every time I thought about it, the feeling of seeing Alex get shocked by Caleb's stamp enveloping me every time.  
I wanted nothing more than anything than to know that he was okay. That was safe.  
But, as we went over the bridge to Auradon, I realized that was the least of my worries.  
To be honest, it wasn't even on the tier of what I should really be worried about.  
I looked around at the villain kids, watching Mal plot on how to get the wand, Evie fixing her makeup, and Carlos eating until his face turned blue...and I thought to myself.  
Here goes nothing.

King Ben greeted us as soon as we had gotten there. When I first saw him though, I almost got whiplash. He looked very similar to Luke, Alex’s friend. It took me a few minutes to stare at him intently for me to actually confirm it wasn’t actually him.  
Something about the way he worded his sentences and the way he stood wasn’t anything like Luke. But I guess he noticed my intense staring and laughed awkwardly before giving us to Doug, some dirty blond nerdy dude who was the son of Dopey the dwarf.  
Doug seemed like an okay guy but he was just really awkward, especially around Evie. Funny considering their parents were a part of the same story but on completely different spectrums.  
He began to tell us about our schedules, the impending doom of time management made me want to pass out but I guess it wasn’t the worst thing.  
My mind droned off as I heard all the random times and places we had to be...when I noticed a bunch of students walking past us getting to their next class. One of them passed by, his golden blond hair bringing me to attention when I noticed his height was around the same too.  
Alex?  
I felt my body levitate to where the guy was going but Mal put a hand on my shoulder, reminding me to stay where I was until Doug dismissed us.  
Fit in, Willie, fit in.  
But I couldn’t help it, I waited a few more seconds as I watched the guy melt into the crowd and I started walking towards him. Luckily, everyone seemed to split up at the same time.  
“Uh, guys-“  
“Yeah, yeah, see you tomorrow, Dopey,” I said as I walked off, making Mal and Evie giggle while Carlos gasped. But I didn’t care as I rushed through the crowds.  
I went through hallways and thought I lost him at some point, eventually coming at a crossroads and my heart getting heavy before turning around and bumping into someone, making us both go sprawling onto the floor in different directions.  
“Oh, my gosh, I am so sorry,” I hear the other kid say. He stood up and held his right hand out to me, I looked up and saw a tanned boy with shaggy black hair, almond shaped dark brown eyes shined down at me. I took his hand, noticing a big, gaudy gold ring with a teal jewel on his middle finger, before he helped lift me up off the ground.  
“Uh, thanks.”  
“Don’t mention it, a little lost?”  
“Maybe a little.”  
He laughed and I noticed his charming smile, I could’ve sworn I saw a twinkle shine form his teeth because of how white they were,”Don’t worry, it takes awhile to get used to.”  
He was calming, warm..he actually made me feel welcomed here,”I’m Laddie.”  
“Jay,” I smiled but only he didn’t smile back.  
Instead his face went slack and he almost looked angry, sick.  
“”Jay”? As in the villain kid?” He sounded upset, like I had made him mad somehow.  
“Uh..yeah?”  
He scoffed,”I’m surprised you don’t know me just by looking at me. Isn’t that what you villain kids do? Plot with your parents to destroy the lives of the kids who destroyed theirs?”  
“I’m sorry, I don’t know...” I trailed off, finally realizing why he looked slightly familiar.  
Jafar had this photo sitting in a book on the Isle, he sometimes would put it on the wall and would throw things at it for fun. Sometimes it was knifes, sometimes it was just food.  
But it wasn’t any secret who it was.  
“You’re Aladdin’s son.”  
“And you’re Jafar’s. Need I say more?” He continued to sound angrier with every second that passed.  
I started to back up, the way his back straightened and how he was advancing made it clear that if I stayed here any longer, he’d start a fight. And I was only here for an hour, I didn’t want to go back to the Isle.  
“I’m not looking for trouble.”  
“And yet you came here. Why?” His tone was confronting,”To live in Jafar’s shadow? To be just like him?”  
“Look, man, I was just invited,” I held my hands up.  
“Well, maybe you should look for other parties to join instead of ours,” he walked away from me, nudging my shoulder just enough to make me feel a twinge of unease.  
Great..barely been here an hour and I already had an enemy.  
But then I remembered the blond guy. Alex. It had to be him.  
I eventually went down a couple more hallways before I found the outside, the courtyard in front of the school where we first arrived. That’s when I saw a blond head of hair and I bolted towards it.  
“Alex-“ I put my hand on the guy’s shoulder and he whipped around, revealing someone that was most definitely not Alex.  
He guy looked offended by the fact I even touched him, he even jumped back like five feet just so he could get away from me,”Whoa!”  
I heard people around us whispering,”He touched Chad...”  
“Does he not know who Chad is?”  
“He’s a VK, why would he know?”  
I glanced in between everyone,”Uh, I’m-I’m sorry, I thought you were-“  
“Just get away from me!” He began running a hundred yard dash and I felt taken aback.  
I held my head down as I went to go find my dorm, embarrassment making me want to cry.  
But even with the embarrassment I felt, my mind could only focus on was the blond guy I saw earlier. Was it really Alex? Or was my mind just playing tricks on me?  
I hope we wouldn't find the wand for a few days, just so I could actually find out.  
"Please, Mal," I whispered to myself,"Don't find it yet.."


	6. vi.

Things never go my way. Mal found it within ten minutes. Well, correction, Evie found it.  
“It’s in a museum,” Mal sounded stressed and surprised at the same time, an edge to her voice that was oddly charged with anxiety,“Do we know where it is?”  
“It’s 2.3 miles from here,” Carlos piped up next to us, we looked over and saw him flip a computer around to show us.  
And, just like that, we were off. Sneaking through the night like thieves...which is what we were but whatever, details aren’t important.  
Once we found the museum, I felt my heart drop, realizing we were almost done with our mission. We’d go back to the beginning and I’d be stuck where I never wanted to be in the first place.  
But then I devised a plan that was too good to not give up.  
Once Mal our the guard to sleep, we snuck through rooms and galleries, finding art and boring books before stumbling upon the villain room.  
Life sized, inexplicably real looking wax statues decorated the room, they looked over us like the real beings and we all seemed distracted.  
“Killer...” I mumbled as I looked at Jafar’s, recognizing the scowl from a mile away. Yet, I don’t know why I recognized it. It wasn’t like I knew him all my life. Jay did. But not me.  
Once we got over the stupor, we found it. Fairy Godmother’s magic wand.  
It was in a high tech area that made it float above the ground at an angle, looking easy enough to grab and run..but there’s always something more.  
Since I was obviously the most “experienced” thief, they expected me to get it which I should’ve known but wasn’t expecting.  
I slipped under the railing, going along with my plan I devised in my head as I went to reach for it.  
"Jay, don't," Mal gave me the look she always did when I was about to steal something wrong, like she knew we'd get caught and most times she was right.  
Instead, I thought about the blond boy, how he could possibly be Alex. I couldn't stop thinking about him since I saw the resemblance and it made me realize...he's what I wanted more than anything. And I was planning on getting it.  
I smirked as I reached for the wand,"No, don't!"  
As soon as I reached my hand in, a force field repelled it off and an alarm blared above us. We started running towards the exits, making sure the security guard didn't see us as we burst through the doors.  
"Great, Jay, now we have to go to school tomorrow!" Mal said with anger and annoyance drenching her voice.  
"Yeah...I know," I thought with a slight smirk.

The next day, no one would even look at me. I knew I screwed up but it was obviously on purpose, how no one saw that but me was odd. They should’ve known Jay would do something like that..or would he? Was that just a Willie thing? I hoped not, I didn’t need anyone finding out I wasn’t actually him.  
We went into our new normal routine of class, the first one being Remedial Goodness 101.  
When I first heard about it, I wanted to roll my eyes and hit my head against the wall. Now, as I sat in the class for an hour, I literally wanted to plow through the floor in agony.  
It was so boring and so unnecessary but I had to fake knowing what to do just so I could get out of here in general.  
Once class was over, I almost left a Willie-sized hole in the wall as I went to find my other class...while also simultaneously looking for the other guy that looked like Alex and not the prissy dude I found the first day we were here.  
I knew Chad, the guy I mistook for Alex, wasn’t the guy I originally saw yesterday. It couldn’t be. Even though he had blond hair, his was more of a beach blond than a golden blond, it also didn’t have the yellowish highlights that sparkled in the sun.  
Thinking about it made me think of our hug before I got here, the way I didn’t even think to put my hand through his hair like he did with mine. Sometimes I felt the ghost (ha) of his hand still cradling the back of my head.   
What I would’ve given to seize that opportunity to hold his head in my hands, to cup his cheeks...to kiss him. Oh, how badly I wanted to kiss him that night. Stupid, Reggie, always ruining everything.  
I sped through hallways in a chill way, not trying to call attention to myself but trying to act like I was lost too. If anybody asked if I needed help, I’d just deny it and look everywhere until I found him.  
“Jay! Wait up!” I bit my tongue when I heard Carlos behind me,”Wow, you’re fast.”  
“What is it, Carlos?”  
“Oh, I was just wanting to tell you that our next class is that way,” he pointed the opposite direction and I sighed.  
I felt my teeth grind, not in frustration but in anxiety, I didn’t want to waste a second looking for him,”Uh, thanks, but I just don’t feel like sitting in another boring class, ya know?”  
“So...you’re skipping this period?” His eyes turned to puppy dog’s, almost pleading for me to come with him so he wouldn’t be alone. But he’d have Mal and Evie...but the kid really worried me sometimes. He needed someone to pay attention to him in a good way, in a friendly way.  
As a friend and not as a master.  
“Why don’t you come with me?” I sling my arm around his shoulders in a playful way,”I’m gonna go find some places to vandalize and pilfer.”  
“Really? That sounds-“ he cut himself off, sounding excited first as his smile turned into a frown,”Um..I’m gonna go join class. I don’t really want to get in trouble.” He seemed to shrink in his own skin.  
“Yeah, I get it but-“  
“I’ll see you at the dorm, Jay,” then he skirted away, almost like a cockroach across a tile floor. Once he was gone, I blinked and mumbled,”Bye then..”   
I started scanning more rooms, going down abandoned hallways and stuff until I heard something. My ears perked up with the sound of...  
My eyes started tearing up.  
Drums. It’s drums.  
I bolted down a hallway that was where the music was coming from, sprinting faster than I ever have before. I realized not too long after I appeared here that Jay was a lot fitter than me, after the years of thieving and running away, I’d figure as much.  
Once I found the room where the sound of drums basically made the door vibrate with sound waves, I placed my hand on the door handle and couldn’t even turn it. My heart began beating a million miles an hour as I thought about it.  
What if I was just giving my hopes up? That it wasn’t Alex but just some random kid? What if I was going through delusions of fantasies that were never going to happen?  
But then one thought rang in my mind and I felt like falling through the floor.  
What if I was letting Caleb win?  
Just that single thought gave me enough strength to open the door, pulling it open with a loud creak and groan.   
The drums suddenly stopped playing and I heard a voice from in front of me say,“Hey, man, can you close the door? We’re having a band practice in here.”


	7. vii.

I looked up to see some random dude with dark hair sitting at the drum set. I felt my heart sink with depression as I slumped against the doorframe,”Uh, sorry, I heard the music and thought-“  
“You can join in and listen if you want,” I heard a girl with black hair tied halfway with a blue ribbon say from beside me, she was plugging up a guitar jack to a giant speaker that was going to rock the whole school,”We never get an audience.”  
“That’s...sad, I guess.”  
“Yeah, pretty sad when your mom used to sing and people would buy their voice from her because it was so beautiful,” she turned to me and I noticed her neon blue eyes stare at me with a playful yet powerful glare,”and a couple of the other members’s parents have great musical talents..”  
Her hair style didn’t match the rest of her outfit at all, she had an oversized baby blue sweater that reached her knees with a navy blue and black flannel shirt over it..basically swallowing her. She wore black skintight, ripped up sweatpants and light blue high top sneakers with permanent marker written all over them with random doodles or words. The words “mermaid”, “feminist”, and “bi” shouted out the most while doodles of fish and stars decorated most of the space.  
She bounced over to me and smiled, her winged eyeliner was somehow so perfectly sharp that it scared me a little bit, she held her hand out,”I’m Melody, daughter of Ariel and Eric.”  
“Jay,” I debated whether to tell her Willie or Jay..she seemed like she’d be chill with my genuine self but I wasn’t too sure.  
“Oh! You’re that new kid! Or..one of them,” she didn’t sound intimidated or scared at all, more fascinated,”Hey! Aziz!”   
The guy at the drums whipped his head from the drum set jack,”You can go now, I think he’ll like how they sound.”  
He hopped down off the platform and left,”Uh..”  
“He’s one of Aladdin’s sons, don’t think he’d like seeing the son of Jafar, ya know?”  
“Uh....”  
“Plus, he’s also super sporty and has to get to tourney. He’s the coach’s pet. A suck up and all that.”  
“Uh huh..I thought Aladdin had a son named Laddie?”  
“Oh, you’ve met Laddie? How did that go?” She crossed her arms.   
The way she said “that” like she knew he would’ve caused instant trouble.  
“Pretty confrontational, if I’m being honest,” I laughed a bit, rubbing the back of my neck like it itched but, really, I just wanted to leave.  
Melody rolled her eyes,”Yeah, when he found out the son of Jafar was coming, he was the only one, besides Aladdin, in their family that was really upset. Aziz was okay but he’s kinda off guard about it.”  
“So...Aziz isn’t going to cause problems?”  
“Not if you start anything to begin with,” she shrugged and I felt myself relax, glad to know I wouldn’t be ruffling anymore feathers with kids of heroes I didn’t even know.  
But then my mind turned and I cocked my head,”How do you know Laddie?”  
“Oh, he’s-“  
Suddenly, the door I entered opened up behind us and I blinked a few times before actually looking, hearing the voice first which made me almost snap my own neck,”Hey, guys, sorry that I was...”  
I felt my body heave as I felt my word turn upside down.  
Alex. It was Alex.  
My heart dropped so fast that I thought I was dying again, the feeling of seeing him for the first time in what felt like forever weighed down on me.  
My mind turned to putty as I stared at him, feeling my mouth gap open as I thought of words to say but I couldn't say anything. Seeing him...it made me feel something that was honestly indescribable.  
But I noticed something different about him...his hair. His hair was longer here, almost to his jawline and more floppy than in my universe.  
But he also looked different in another way that I couldn’t really put my finger on...  
“Oh, who’s this?” His voice made me melt, I just wanted to dissolve in his arms but I felt myself stitch back into reality when I realized that he didn’t recognize me.  
How could he not recognize me? He literally hugged me. Pulled me in so tight that I couldn’t breath. All my breath was him and I was his.  
So how did he not know me?  
“This is Jay, one of the new kids,” Melody said it like it’s a thing that happens all the time but actually, it wasn’t,”Also, don’t worry, Laddie isn’t here yet...which is normal for him, I guess.”  
So many things were happening at once that I felt my feet slip from underneath me, I almost fell but Alex put a hand on my shoulder to help steady me,”Whoa, man, are you okay?”  
“Uh...I’m....” I couldn’t find any words to say, just seeing him, staring into his forest green eyes made me want to collapse even more.  
“Just give him room, Xander, I think he’s fine now.”  
I actually wasn’t but whatever.  
Alex backed up a few feet, putting his hands in his pockets,”Do you need some water or something? A towel?”  
“Uh, how about a good hit on the head with a drumstick?”  
He laughed lightly,”Don’t think that will help really but if you insist...”   
He pretended to grab some from his satchel hanging from his shoulder but Melody shoved him in response,“Aziz fixed your drums, go look at them before they mysteriously break again..”  
“Fine, fine,” he held up his hands in surrender,”But if I find them broken again because someone “somehow” put their foot through it.”  
“I told you it wasn’t me!”  
“Oh, it was just the ghost that randomly materializes in the hallways then?”  
I almost laughed at the irony..but they wouldn’t understand. Especially Alex, it seemed.  
Once he got on the platform, Melody came back over to me,”That’s Alexander, son of Rapunzel and Eugene. He’s a teddy bear but really annoying at the same time. Fun to be around but always worried something bad is going to happen.”  
Sounds like Alex from home...  
“Yeah...” then my mind went to watching him settle in the chair that was set up with the drum set. He adjusted the seat for a second before grabbing some drumsticks from his bag for real this time and taking in a deep breath.  
He then began playing a certain song that I had never heard before but was entranced by, nevertheless.  
“Ugh, where is Laddie?” Melody checked an invisible watch on her wrist, most likely doing it for dramatic effect than forgetting to put one on,”He needs to be here so we can actually get started.”  
“Wait, so Laddie is a band member?” The fear of how he threatened me yesterday filled me and I wanted to leave but...Alex was within arms length.  
“The bassist. I’m the lead singer and guitarist. Xander is obviously the drummer. We all sing every once in awhile but we all agree my voice is the best,” she grinned with pride,”besides, Laddie can’t hold a tune worth a listen..kinda ironic since his mom and dad can both sing angelically.”  
Oh, if only she knew what real irony was.  
“Is he always late?”  
“Most of the time...see, Laddie thinks he’s “popular” and “hot stuff”,” she made quotation marks with her fingers as she said those words,”so he thinks that he can come and go whenever he pleases but we all know I could replace him.”  
“Would you though?” Alex announced from the platform,”You threaten to but you never mean it...you’re so soft on him.”  
She suddenly turns red,”I am not.”  
“Yeah, you are. You have been since we were all kids,” he hopped off the platform and came towards us, my heart skipping with each step he took,”Melody’s had a thing for Laddie since she met him in second grade.”  
“I don’t have a thing for him anymore. I realized a long time ago that I don’t need a man, I’m not going to end up like my mom did,” she crossed her arms furiously, looking like she was about to threaten Alex to kick him out of the band too.  
“With a loving husband and a bratty daughter? Yeah, I wouldn’t either,” Melody slapped his arm with annoyance and he just chuckled. I felt myself mesmerized by his entire existence here.   
How was he even here? How did he not recognize me? Why did they call him Xander and not Alex?  
So many things was going on but none of the anxiety of the others topped it when I heard the door open behind us again and I see Laddie’s head poke through.  
“Let’s get this party started....” he trailed off when he saw me, his eyes turning into slits.  
My soul left my body when he glared deep into my eyes and growled,”Get out.”


	8. viii.

I blinked for a few seconds, not sure what to do. But then Laddie seemed to tell me what I should do for the second time in the past ten seconds,”Get out.”  
He repeated it in a way that made the hairs on the back of my neck raise,”Do I have to say it a third time or should I make you?”  
“Laddie,” Alex put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it a couple times which seemed to make Laddie stop tensing his body so badly,”Chill.”  
Laddie looked like he was about to pop off some smart remark but he held it back, biting his tongue so intensely that I was surprised there wasn’t a hole in the center of it when he whispered in defeat to Alex,“Why is he even here?”  
“Jay just wants to watch rehearsal, right?” Alex looked at me with his eyes sparkling, making me take an intake of breath to keep myself from freaking out over how cute he was.  
“Uh, yeah, totally. I heard Aziz play the drums and thought it sounded good.”  
Laddie scoffed and chuckled a bit, almost sarcastically dark,”So...you’re not only stalking me..” he stepped forward, making Alex look annoyed, roll his eyes, and raise his hands and then drop them in defeat,”but you’re also stalking my brother?”  
“I’m not stalking anyone, I was just-“  
“What? Looking for a way to my dad?”  
“No, I thought he was-“  
“Boys!” Melody stepped in between us,”Shut up before I make you hold hands and give two hundred word apologies.”  
“In his dreams,” Laddie scoffed again,”I could have him if I wanted.”  
I furrowed my eyebrows and Alex squeezed the bridge of his nose, as if he’d heard it a million times...but by the way Melody continued to look temperamental, I could tell he had said it a million times in the past.  
“You know, Laddie, I could replace you,” Melody pointed a finger at him and then poked his chest,”I could have Aziz take your position as bassist.”  
He licked his lips and looked down at her with a dark yet playful stare,”You know, Melody...” he grinned and knelt down to her height,”you’re really cute when you threaten to kick me out.”  
“Shut up, Laddie, that’s not going to work on me.” But by the way her cheeks began to become tinted pink, I could tell it was working.  
He shrugged and straightened back up,”Worth a try,” then he turned back to me.  
“Oh, here we go again,” Alex grumbled, whom I, to be honest, forgot was there for a few seconds.  
I found myself gravitate towards him a bit, almost two feet away from him as I swallowed. I had to hold myself back to grab his arm and bury myself into him.  
“I’d suggest you back up from Xander before I find a way to get you out of Auradon within the next ten minutes,” Laddie’s voice was way more hostile than before, as if he really felt like he needed to protect Alex...as if he was actually scared I’d hurt him more than I’d hurt himself,”Unless you’d like to go back to your street rat dad at the Isle.”  
“Don’t call him that,” I don’t know why I was so offended by that term..”street rat” sounded wrong, weird...weird because I shouldn’t be offended by it but I was,”Isn’t that what your dad used to be?”  
“And he’s who turned yours into one, who’s to say I can’t turn you back into one? If you’ve even changed...” he looked me up and down and approached me, standing toe to toe to me as he said in a lowered tone of voice,”So, are you going to back up from Xander or do I need to pull my executive power?”  
“What executive power?”  
It slipped out before I could even think about it. I had no idea where it came from, that’s not how I acted. I almost gasped but, instead, I opened my mouth to apologize when I felt a hard object connect with my face.  
Next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on the floor and I heard yelling around me.  
“Laddie! What the heck, man!”  
“That was so uncalled for, Lads.”  
I blinked away the pain as I propped myself up with one elbow, feeling a couple pairs of hands helping me up.   
“You okay, Jay?” Alex was the one helping me from the front, I guessed it was Melody helping me up from my back,”He got you pretty hard..”  
He was so close. Intoxicatingly close.  
“Uh, I’m..fine..”  
“You sure?”  
“Of course he isn’t, Laddie just roundhouse kicked him in the face and blew his consciousness into next year,” Melody was mad, so upset that I could hear another threat to kick him out of the back happening soon.  
As soon as I got to my feet, I felt the red hot pain of the right half of my face throbbing,”Ugh..”  
“Laddie,” Melody snapped at him, he just smirked cockily,”I think it would be best if we skipped rehearsal today.”  
His smirk melted into a frown,”But-“  
“Leave, Laddie. Now.” Her tone was rough, abrasive, livid. She didn’t want to see him.  
And I didn’t want to either.  
He didn’t even say anything, no noise, no huffs. He just grabbed his guitar case and left, pushing the door that lead outside open and slamming it.  
“Are you actually okay, Jay?” Melody grabbed my face and examined it,”You’re getting a huge bruise..”  
“I’m fine, really..”  
“Are you sure? He whammed you pretty bad,” Alex crossed his arms as he leaned forward to look at my face along with Melody,”Do you want to go to the infirmary?”  
“Please, no. I don’t need them thinking I’m getting in trouble during my first week here. Please. I’m fine.”  
Melody blinked but she nodded solemnly,”I’m so sorry about him, he’s just...he’s stupid. Family honor is a big thing for him and God forbid you mess with Xander. I just want to kill him right now,” she growled in anger, kicking an amp that I’m surprised didn’t split in half,”I’m going for a walk.”  
She huffed loudly as she walked towards the door,”I’ll see you around, Jay. I’d say have a good day but...” she waves a hand dramatically around her face before leaving with a big yell.  
“Uh..”  
“She’ll be fine, she just needs to calm down,” Alex stood there for a few seconds as he stared at the door she left out of then he turned to me,”Are you actually okay? Be honest, Laddie has a pretty killer martial arts rep.”  
“It hurts but, uh..nothing I can’t handle,” I let out a slight laugh,”If anything, it woke me up.”  
“You shouldn’t joke about it, he’ll see it as more of a challenge,” he sighed deeply, more in disappointment than anger,”He’s always been so weird about that stuff. I just wish he’d chill for once.”  
“What is his problem though? He seems like his wires are on a little too tight.”  
Alex sat down on the platform, his legs dangling off it so I knew it was hopeless for me to even hop up there. One thing I hated about being alive again, I couldn’t poof places anymore.  
I tried hopping up there but it took me a few tries, Alex didn’t seem to say anything though, he was too deep in thought,”He just..has a rough backstory. His family situation. He has a competitive attitude and it really shines throughout his childhood.”  
I nodded,”So...why does he feel like he needs to protect you?”  
“We’ve been best friends since we were kids,” he chuckled awkwardly, almost ashamed to admit it,”Melody only showed up in grade school. But Laddie and I have known each other since diapers...”  
Then he blinked and seemed to get out of a trance,”But, enough of that,” he hopped off the platform and I groaned on the inside,”I think we should be friends.”  
I felt my mind blank,”Uh-“  
“You should come to one of our gigs...I’m manifesting that Laddie won’t be coming to them for awhile due to the events that happened today so..”  
“Yeah, that’s sounds..fun.”  
He smiled slightly,”We have one during the pep rally on Friday night, you should be our roadie or something. We also have an actual rehearsal the next day, I could show you some stuff on the campus then..that is, if you want...”  
He stood up and lead me towards the door, probably heading to a class of his, he sounded scared that I wouldn’t want that but I smiled brightly,”That would be great, Alex.”  
His eyes widened for a second, he cocked his head to the side slightly,”Huh, that’s a new one.”  
“What?”  
He kinda chuckled, opening the door for me to go through,”Nothing, it’s just...no one’s ever called me that before.”  
“What?”  
“Alex.”   
I looked at him in confusion, wondering how no one had before at all.  
“But, don’t worry,” he winked,”I like it.”


	9. ix.

The only person I could convince to come with me to the pep rally was Carlos. He sounded really excited to go but still hesitant since we were technically still newbies who were considered evil, he really didn’t want to give people a bad impression. I didn’t either but I convinced him by telling him that joining in on Auradon events like this would make us seem more normal. That or it could totally backfire and they’d hate us for even being there but I wasn’t going to tell him that.  
Once we got there, we found our place in the bleachers and sat down. Carlos instantly started bouncing his leg and I felt myself pick at my cuticles, anxiety flowing between the two of us enough to power an entire city.   
“Hey,” I put my arm over his shoulder, he looked up at me with worry splattered over his face,”No one’s going to say anything about us being here..and, if they do, we’ll show them how to deal with it VK style.”  
He chuckled and then seemed to call down a bit, hunching over and putting his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands. After a few minutes, he perked up and said,”Isn’t that that band you brought me here to see?”  
Within the past few weeks, Carlos and I were getting close. I told him basically everything, except for my real identity, but that included talking about the band and Alex. I spared the details on Laddie’s kick to my face but he caught on pretty soon that the bruise that randomly appeared on over half my face wasn’t from me tripping and falling.   
He knew I thought Alex was cute, to be honest, I was kinda scared to tell him in fear that he’d think me liking a guy was weird but then he had mentioned something about how I hadn’t liked anyone since Harry and that he was proud of me for getting over him. I had no idea who that was but I guess it wasn’t weird at all. According to him, Mal and Evie knew about Harry too..and I had a lot more questions but I knew they wouldn’t be answered along with everything else.  
But, sure enough, I looked up and I saw Melody and Alex setting up their music gear in the middle of the tourney field, there was another guy with them that I was pretty sure was Aziz and not Laddie, relief filled me but confusion too. Wasn’t Laddie supposed to be here? Weren’t gigs like this really important? Maybe Melody actually did kick him out of the band finally.  
“Which one is Alex?” Carlos’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the field, deciding between Aziz and Alex.  
“The blond one.”  
“The drummer?”  
“Mhmm,” I stared at Alex as he fixed his drums, everyone suddenly going silent as he tested them out and making everyone cheer. He grinned widely and I felt myself smile.  
“Jay!” I blinked as I heard my name from the field and see Melody waving wildly,”Hey!”   
My eyes widened as I waved back shyly and I see her shake her head before she heads to the stairs that lead up to us.  
“No one’s gonna say anything, huh?” Carlos looked over at me with a sour expression and I stuck my tongue out at him, making him shove my shoulder with a giggle.  
Melody ran up the stairs, making me scared as I noticed her shoelaces weren’t tied, until she reached our aisle,”Hey, I didn’t know you’d be here!” How she wasn’t out of breath was a mystery to me,”Who’s this?” She pointed to Carlos.  
“Oh, I’m Carlos,” he held out his hand, she shook it energetically.  
“You’re another VK, right?”  
“Uh, yeah..”  
“Nice!” She turned to me,”You and Carlos should come down to the field with us, help us with setup and have front row seats to the show.”  
“Uh-“ Carlos started but I swallowed, thinking about how to tell Melody no when Alex yelled from the drums,”Jay! Come here!”  
My mouth gaped open and Carlos sighed,”Let’s go see, maybe it won’t be so bad.”  
I gave him a thankful look before Melody grabbed my arm,”C’mon!”   
We went down the stairs, people giving us dirty looks and gestures as we passed them..I wanted to do the same to them but only rolled my eyes as Carlos trained behind me.   
We made our way to the field, I almost stopped once I saw Alex but he motioned me over,”Hey, man.”  
“Hey, Alex...” I put my hands in my pockets, making my way over while I left Carlos with Melody.  
“Who’s your friend?”  
“Carlos De Vil, son of Cruella.”  
Carlos’s perked up when he heard his name,”Are we talking about me?”  
“Just some introductions are in order,” Alex hopped off the drum set,”I’m Xander.”  
“Carlos,” he shook Alex’s hand,”Jay says he met you the other day at a band practice.”  
“Oh, you heard about that?” Alex rubbed the back of his neck.  
“He heard about the whole roundhouse kick too..”   
“Oh, man, I’m still so sorry about Laddie,” Alex looked at me with a sorrowful expression, as if he’d think I’d be upset with him instead of the guy who actually did it.  
“Listen, you can’t control him from what I heard so, really, don’t worry..he’ll get what’s coming to him,” I crossed my arms and Carlos rolled his eyes.  
“Ha, yeah, I guess..” He trailed off as he stared at the bruise that was faded yet still visible.  
“Hey, Xander!” “Alexander, up here!” We all turned around to see a bunch of Auradon Prep’s cheerleaders waving and smiling at him, he just kinda waved shyly before turning away to mess with his drums again.  
“C’mon, Xander, a bunch of cute girls waving, smiling, and yelling for you and you can only go back to your drums?” Melody sounded like she was teasing him,”Are they too fancy for your taste?”  
“Uh..something like that,” he started wailing on his drums to avoid the conversation and the cheerleaders cheered.  
Carlos raised his eyebrows and I felt my eyes widen, wondering if Alex wasn’t out in this universe.  
But by the way he slammed on his drums to avoid Melody’s taunts made me wonder if she knew something that he didn’t want anyone else to know..but I knew.  
“Well, uh,” Carlos caught Melody’s attention,”I’m gonna go back up to the bleachers..have fun, Jay.”   
He turned around and made his way up the stairs while he left me alone with Melody,”So..where is Laddie?”  
“Who knows. He’s probably brushing his long hair in a perfect way to get everyone to notice him, he’s such a drama king that he might even be here in the bleachers to prove a point,” she sounded tame as if this has happened before but a taste of uncertainty was there too.  
“So, Aziz is playing tonight instead?”  
“Yup, if he wants to be stupid, I’ll just replace him for the night and let him have a taste of his own medicine,” she put her hands on her hips and I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. She really was quite funny,”But, anyway, there’s some seats over there if you want a front seat view. We’re starting in, like, five minutes.”  
I nod and turn around to see two rows of ten seats about twenty feet away from the band set up, I noticed some guys in uniforms sitting at some of them and I decided to sit at the very end where none of them were.  
I looked at them and noticed that they must’ve been a part of the tourney team, the way they were built and wore their uniforms were a dead giveaway...but I noticed someone was among them that made me want to leave.  
Chad, son of Cinderella, aka..the guy I mistook for Alex when I first got here. The dude was very odd and I was surprised I hadn’t even seen him much since that first day since he was hailed as one of the most popular people at Auradon Prep. I figured he was what Laddie wanted to be.  
After a few minutes, I suddenly hear from speakers all around us,”Hey, Auradon Prep,” everyone stood up and started cheering, I looked up to see Alex on the drums, Aziz death-gripping a bass, and Melody at a microphone, she cradled a guitar in her arms,”Ready to get this pep rally started for our tourney game against the neighboring school tomorrow?”  
Everyone cheered and she said,”Now who’s ready for Live Your Wonders to rock you guys until the night ends?”  
Everyone cheered even louder and that’s when Melody yelled,”Take it away, Xander!”  
“One, two, three!” He shouted into his microphone while tapping his drumsticks together, starting a song that blasted through the entire tourney field and area.  
As I heard the music, I felt a presence of Alex. Not this Alex. But my Alex. It was almost surreal as I watched him wail on the drums as if his life depended on it.   
And even as the night went on, I couldn’t help but think to myself.  
This is what I wanted.  
He is what I wanted.  
And I was determined to get him no matter how long it took.


	10. x.

When the pep rally was over, Carlos immediately ran to me like his life depended on it to stay away from the developing crowd trying to either leave the bleachers to go to their dorms, talk to the bands that performed before the game, or congratulate the Auradon tourney players for winning. He was a nervous wreck and I couldn’t help but feel anxious to leave too.  
“You ready?” I stood up from my chair, Carlos standing behind me in fear.  
He blinked hastily but shook his head,”Don’t you want to say goodbye to Alex?”  
I felt my heart swell with the feeling of courage he was currently expressing..just so I could say goodbye to my friend. I mean, I hoped Alex considered me his friend.  
“Uh, yeah, but you look like you’re ready to jump out of your own skin. Maybe we should just leave,” I wrapped an arm around his shoulders like I do to help calm him down, giving him a playful smirk.   
He looked up at me, always with these puppy dog eyes (probably the wrong analogy to use but whatever) every time, with hope but only shook his head again,”N-no, it’s fine..he’s right over there.” He pointed into the crowd surrounding Alex’s drum set and I sighed in defeat.  
“Do you want to come with me?”  
“Yes please,” he sounded pitiful but I couldn’t help but feel a lump forming in my throat looking at the crowd.  
I put a hand on his shoulder as we made our way towards the band equipment, my blood pressure spiking as people flocked around us.   
They continued to give us dirty looks like earlier and I wanted to bark at them. That would give them a scare for sure.  
We eventually found Alex talking to none other than Prince Ben, all decked out in his tourney gear and his face covered with dirt spots from being tackled a few times, whom I had no idea he was even friends with.   
We were barely fifteen feet away from them when Alex grinned widely, he motioned for me to make my way over and we trotted over there.  
Ben turned around to see us and smiled even more optimistically than Alex had somehow,”Hey, guys! Didn’t know you’d be here!”  
“Yep, they came to see me, obviously,” Melody materialized behind Alex, she squeezed herself in between Ben and Alex,”Who else?”  
“Well, definitely not Laddie,” Alex joked, rubbing the back of his neck, making Ben raise his eyebrows...did he not know?  
“Speaking of, where is he?” Ben asked, making my suspicion ring truer,”I haven’t seen him since yesterday in History.”   
“Mellie kicked him out of the band yesterday..well, she says she did,” Alex had a tinge of giggle in his voice and even Ben couldn’t hold back as he laughed loudly.  
“Melody? Kicking Laddie out of the band? Wow, I needed that laugh,” he clapped Alex on the shoulder and Melody crossed her arms and scrunched her nose like she did when she got annoyed.  
She rolled her eyes and started tapping her foot,”I didn’t necessarily kick him out, I told him to leave practice early the other day because of a certain...” she looked over at me but I just pursed my lips,”incident.”  
“Since when does Laddie not get into incidences?” Ben inquired. Alex and Melody shrugged simultaneously, making Ben sigh,”Guess he’ll always be the same.”  
I wanted to roll my eyes but instead I looked at Alex, my eyes pleading for him to notice me so I could say ‘bye’ and leave.  
Soon enough, he looked over and I gave a small wave,”You guys did great and this has been fun but Carlos and I have to leave..we have P.E. tomorrow and need to sleep in to get enough strength.”  
“Oh yeah, are you guys prepared to play mock tourney?” Ben gave us a curious look, actually wondering if we’d enjoy the barbarically cool sport we watched not too long ago.  
I licked my lips,”I mean, I’m not much of a team sport kinda guy..”  
“Yeah and I’m not really a....sports in general kinda guy,” Carlos piped up, making Ben nod in thought.  
“Hey,” Alex got my attention,”Why don’t you guys come by the music room after your class before then tomorrow? I have it that same period and it would be cool to have someone to walk with me.”  
“I actually have something to do before we go so I can’t,” Carlos said nervously.  
“Oh, yeah, that’s not a problem, Carlos. Don’t worry,” Alex smiled at him with reassurance, making Carlos feel accepted even more,”What about you, Jay?”  
I blinked a few times before registering that he was asking me,”Yeah, I’ll be free.”  
“Then it’s settled, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”  
“See you then.”   
“Bye,” Carlos turned around and began walking away, I followed after him before noticing Alex watching us leave.  
When we made it to the exit, I turned around and noticed Alex still staring at us...when he noticed me noticing, he waved. I waved back.  
“You’re so whipped,” Carlos giggled childishly before walking faster so I wouldn’t catch him.  
“Oh, shut up, Carlos,” I laughed as I went to grab him, running all the way to our dorm room with smiles on our faces.


	11. xi.

The next day, as I made my way from Remedial Goodness 101, I was a nervous wreck.

Meeting Alex? By himself? By ourselves? My stomach rolled thinking about it..but, yet, I was excited.

I hadn't been alone with Alex, the old Alex, since that time when I talked with him at the Orpheum. I felt my mind switch to that day and I just wished I could go back.

_The night was cold but the space between us was even colder. It was like a gap of unforgivable winter, a snowfall of historical significance. I wanted to hold him, to make him see that I was sorry._

_“Is this seat taken?”_

_He didn’t look at me, he only solemnly shook his head before staring up at the empty stage before us. The stage he was supposed to play on twenty five years ago. What I’d give to be able to see him in that stage, a prideful smile on his face while he played his drums._

_“This whole thing sucks,” he eventually spat out, sounding remorseful and more angry at himself than me._

_“Yeah, I messed up..” I took in a deep breath, prepared for the blow of Alex telling me he never wanted to see me again, screaming that I was the cause of all his problems leading up to now._

_But, instead, he just looked at me with sorrowful and forgiving eyes,”Like you said, you don’t have a choice. Caleb owns your soul.”_

_I couldn’t help but shake my head, the feeling of guilt weighing on me like a rock in the sea,”Still, I know what he’s capable of. I lead you right to him.”_

_Tears began to pepper my eyes, making me wish I could be anywhere but here. Wishing I could be in any position where I never met him. Dreaming of a world where I didn’t want to throw myself into any sort of danger for him._

_Eventually, I just spoke the truth,”When you guys asked me, I should’ve just skated away,” my heart felt like lead as it sunk deeper and deeper into my emotions of remorse._

_But instead of him getting angry, he scooted closer to me, his entire side touching mine as he leaned down and looked around to force me to make eye contact with him._

_“I would’ve still followed you.”_

Now, as I stood in the hallway on the way to the practice room, I felt myself stop in my tracks.

What if I lead this Alex into the same situation as the other one?

But then I let the thought pass because I knew something that he or nobody else didn’t know.

Caleb wasn’t here and I don’t think he’d ever be.

And with those words, I went on my way. Confidence rolling on my every being as I strolled down the hallways without a worrisome thought in my head. Where did this feeling even come from? I had never felt this before and it was strikingly...odd.

Every time people passed me in the hallways, I didn’t act like they weren’t there anymore. I have them a smirk or a smile, maybe even said “hey” or “what’s up” to a few. It made me feel different. Definitely not myself.

I made it to the door of the practice room, hearing drums being played from the outside. I pushed open the doors and I felt my mouth form into a wild grin when I saw Alex jamming out on his drums.

He was rocking out to some sort of punk rock track playing in his head..at least, that’s how I interpreted it. The drums made the floor vibrate and I couldn’t imagine how he could even sit up there without the chair moving.

Eventually, he reached his crescendo and panted as he wiped sweat off his forehead. I noticed sweat soaking his long bangs and it trailed down his neck, I swallowed and shrieked back, going back to my non-confident state of nervousness.

I swear I have higher standards than pretty boys dripping in sweat but somehow it was hard not to stare at him just now.

Unlucky for me, he noticed that I was there and staring at him,”Hey, man!”

I jumped slightly and said with a higher tone of voice than usual,”Uh, hey, Alex..” I cleared my throat, making myself go back to my normal tone of voice,”That was a great song.”

“Oh, thanks! Melody and I wrote it last night...well, some of it. It’s been a little project of mine for awhile,” he jumped off the stage, picking up a white rag on the edge of it and wiping his neck and forehead,”It’s a rock song. Not really my style but with the lyrics I have in mind, I think it’ll go great together.”

I wanted to laugh considering his band in the other universe was a rock band but I wasn’t going to say that out loud,”It sounded totally in your style. You guys should do more rock stuff.”

“Yeah, I would enjoy something new but Laddie’s really into pop and pop rock..not rock in general. Me and Mellie? We would kill to have a new sound,” he walked over to the wall next to the door that lead outside where Laddie left that one day, he picked up his duffel bag and motioned me to walk over there,”So, ready for me to kick your butt at tourney?”

“Don’t be so confident, man, I could have a hidden card up my sleeve,” I crossed my arms in a defiant way, making Alex nod in a playful way.

“Alright, hotshot, I just have to get some stuff from my dorm before we can get the butt-kicking on the tourney field going..” he walked toward the door I came in from and held the door open for me, I stepped out and he left the door close behind him,”C’mon, my dorm is this way.”

He started making his way towards the other dorms on campus, the complete other side of where mine and Carlos’s was. We went up a few flights of stairs, talking about anything and everything under the sun as we made our way towards his room.

Eventually, we reached a door at the very end of a hallway on the top floor of the dorms, he grabbed some keys out of a pocket in his bag before opening the door,”You can come on in while I find what I’m looking for.”

“Okay, thanks.”

He entered, holding the door open for me again, before rummaging around and under his bed,”So, is Carlos your roommate?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty close so I was really hoping we would be..” I looked at the other bed and space in general, noticing a lot of jewelry magazines and travel pamphlets for a place I couldn’t quite make out on it from far away..but I didn’t want to intrude and snoop.

“I got pretty lucky too, I guess. It’s always nice when you get a childhood friend as your roommate instead of a stranger, huh?”

“Right. Imagine if I had gotten Laddie as a roommate,” I joked..but Alex kinda blinked and stopped what he was doing,”What?”

“ _Well_...”

Just as he had said that, the doorknob started jiggling and I could hear the chime of keys as they hit the lock.

The door opened and I looked at Alex, noticing the blood leave his face. I wondered what he was so scared about when all of a sudden, I hear,”Xander! I know you’re about to head to P.E. but I need you to get....”

That’s when Laddie’s eyes caught mine and he instantly started heating up.

_Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me..._


	12. xii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I’d go ahead and add that I have face claims for Laddie and Melody!
> 
> Laddie - Xolo Maridueña  
> Melody - Grace Phipps
> 
> That is all lol

Laddie and I stared at each other for what felt like five minutes until a familiar voice said from the foyer that made me aware it was only a few seconds,"Hey, Laddie, we need to get going if we're..." Melody appeared and leaned on the doorframe, seeing me and Laddie's stare off and groaning dramatically,"Okay, I am not doing this today."

"Why is he here?" Laddie wouldn't take his eyes off me but I could tell he was talking to Alex and not me.

Alex quickly zipped up his duffel bag with shaky hands,"Uh, I was walking him to P.E. since we both have it. Thought it would be nice, ya know."

His eyes continued to harden and I licked my lips anxiously before I said,"I'm just gonna...go...."

"Wait for me!" Alex nearly yelled as he tripped over some clothes on the floor,"Laddie...if you don't mind, could you please clean up your clothes..?"

"Yeah, kinda worried that they'll go missing if I don't with him coming here now.." He snatched a heather blue sweater off the ground, making me slightly flinch.

Melody rolled her eyes,"You and your ego, can't you just get along with Jay for once?"

Laddie tossed her an angry look,"You and your nose in my business, can't you just butt out of it for once?"

Melody's face fell and I could tell that really hurt her feelings, tears started to pepper her eyes but she soon blinked them away and her cheeks turned red,"You know what? I'm done. Go to lunch yourself."

"Melody, wait..." Laddie suddenly turned soft as she huffed and turned away, stomping down the hallway. He actually looked regretful, guilt about what he'd done. Who knew he could feel such a thing?

Alex suddenly stood next to me,"Uh..ready?"

"Yeah," but I was distracted by Laddie and how hurt he was. He looked upset, more at how he acted than at me for once.

"I'll see you later, Lads," Alex stood in front of him and said as he put a hand on his shoulder,"She'll turn around. She always does."

"Yeah, I know...but she was really hurt."

"Man, I promise you that she'll be fine. Just apologize," Alex explained like it was the easiest thing in the world, as if Laddie actually knew how to apologize to someone.

Laddie nodded solemnly,"Okay, I'm just gonna give her some time to cool off."

I noticed Laddie leaning closer to Alex as he spoke, wanting to reach out but he couldn't. Something I could spot a mile away because I knew how it felt. He almost looked conflicted by how he felt about Melody and Alex. Like he knew what to do about Melody but looking at Alex as if...

_No...there's no way..._

"I'll be on the tourney field if you need anything, okay?" Alex gave him a soft smile and Laddie returned it with a smirk, almost confirming my suspicions but not quite.

But, unluckily for me, that's when Laddie noticed I was here. He turned to me with a scowl,"I'm only letting you off today because I'm in a sour mood that doesn't concern you...leave before I change my mind."

I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Alex,"Uh..okay."

I walked to the door and out into the hallway, hearing Alex say,"See ya," before closing the door.

Alex continued to chat with me until we made our way to the tourney field but my mind was only consumed with one thought that kept battering around my skull like a pinball in a pinball machine.

 _Laddie likes Alex_?


	13. xiii.

"So," Melody suddenly materialized in front of me a couple days later as I sat at a picnic bench eating a banana,"are you going to the Floating Lanterns Day event?"

"The what?" I asked with my mouth full, not noticing until Alex sat next to her.

I wasn't expecting him to just show up so I choked on my food, causing me to go into a coughing fit.

Melody raised an eyebrow,"You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, just...explain what this lantern thing is."

"It's a day inspired by my parents and their story..they're gonna be here and it's actually a really fun thing, we all get a friend or partner or whatever and get into a boat and float a lantern inspired by our heritage at exactly midnight. It sounds more fun than it actually is," Alex explained it so even if he explained it as a boring seminar type of thing, I'd still want to go.

"Uh huh.." I contemplated,"And who would be in a boat with me?"

Melody shrugged,"Who do you want to be with you is the question. I mean, it's still a few months away _and_ before Cotillion so you don't have to worry about it now."

I glanced at Alex but I don't think he saw me as he was picking at the table with his fingernails,"Who were you guys planning on going with?"

"Well, I was going with Laddie but since he still hasn't apologized.." Melody crossed her arms and I furrowed my eyebrows.

Considering how upset Laddie had been about upsetting her, I would've thought he would've at least mumbled "sorry" to her while passing her or something.

"What about you, Alex?" I asked.

He looked up from the table,"Oh, I hadn't really thought of it yet."

""Alex"?" Melody scrunched her nose,"That's one I've never heard of before."

"Why haven't you thought about it? I mean, it's your family's event."

Alex shrugged and sighed deeply,"I actually never really go on a boat, I usually just stay on the shore and release a lantern by myself so.."

"I'm sorry if I'm being repetitive but why?" I have no idea where this attitude of pushiness came from but I couldn't help it. He was too cute to be by himself for awhile.

"I guess I feel so much pressure about the event. Melody's always with Laddie and I have other friends but they usually have someone else."

"You know, if you asked Laddie, he'd do it with you," Melody brought a peanut butter sandwich out of her backpack, she took a bite,"He's been talking about it nonstop. Said it was a place to talk about big things this year."

Considering how Laddie looked at Alex the other day, how he was pleading in his eyes to touch him, I could see why it would be bad for me if he did.

"Uh," Alex looked at me, blinking with hope shimmering in his eyes,"how about you do it with me?"

"Really?" He sounded hopeful,"You'd be willing to?"

"Yeah, what about Carlos? Or Evie? Or Mal?" Melody said as she continued to stuff her face, sounding almost disinterested in the conversation.

"I love them but I think they'd rather beach out with their new friends, ya know? Maybe you should ask Carlos to go with you," I pointed out, making Melody stop eating and look up in wonder.

"You know..that's not a bad idea, he's a great guy," she then continued to chomp down on her sandwich.

I looked back at Alex,"What do you say?"

He stared off into space for a minute, his face portraying a few different images before he eventually looked up at me and smiled,"Yeah, I don't see why not."

I hadn't seen Laddie since that day and I honestly didn't even want to. He made me so stressed out that I wanted to cry every time he made a confrontation.

But I guess fate had other plans as I was walking down an empty hallway to head to tourney practice when he turned the corner.

He grimaced as he stopped in the hallway,"You know, I'm getting tired of seeing your ugly face."

"Really? I could say the same about you," I turned to get past him but he planted a hand on my shoulder

_Here we go.._

"Listen," he whispered harshly,"I see the way you look at him," my heart dropped to my feet,"and I know what you're doing. Trying to get closer to him, getting closer to Melody."

He leaned in closer,"Just know that you won't get closer with me. There's no way to get to him through me. I won't fight you anymore like before but, just know, I will be your living nightmare because I will protect him and Melody with my life," his lips nearly touched my ear as he rasped out,"Got it?"

I looked into his eyes, copying the amount of anger and resentment that he showed to me in that moment,"Got it..but there's something you also need to know."

He cocked his head slightly as I leaned in to counteract his confidence,"I know your secret about him."

I watched his face go slack as I backed up, bringing my bag closer to my shoulder before I walked down the hallway and out the big set of double doors that lead to the outside. Smiling to myself knowing that I made the one thing keeping me from Alex quake in his shoes.


End file.
